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Pride and Prejudice (1995)
Jane Austen purists love to compare the 1995 miniseries to the 2005 remake. By nature of being a series versus a film, the 1995 version is able to really dive into the source material, and it also gives us a very broody Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy — you haven’t lived until you’ve seen himemerge from a lake in a white shirt.
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Sense and Sensibility (1995)
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Pride & Prejudice (2005)
With the Queen of the Period Romance, Keira Knightley, at the helm, the 2005 adaptation of Austen’sPride and Prejudicereally plays up the tension between Darcy (Succession’s Matthew Macfadyen!) and Elizabeth and begs the question, “How can one,simple hand flex besohot?”
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Fire Island (2022)
Jeong Park/Searchlight Pictures
05of 16Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)Laurie Sparham/Universal/Studio Canal/Miramax/Kobal/ShutterstockFirth returned (although this time without the wet shirt scene) to take on the role of Darcy inBridget Jones’s Diary, a modern retelling ofPride and Prejudicestarring Renée Zellweger as the titular heroine, Bridget Jones, on her quest to find love — and quit smoking and drinking along the way.
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Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
Laurie Sparham/Universal/Studio Canal/Miramax/Kobal/Shutterstock
Firth returned (although this time without the wet shirt scene) to take on the role of Darcy inBridget Jones’s Diary, a modern retelling ofPride and Prejudicestarring Renée Zellweger as the titular heroine, Bridget Jones, on her quest to find love — and quit smoking and drinking along the way.
06of 16Bride and Prejudice (2004)Pathe Ltd/Kobal/ShutterstockA Bollywood take on Austen’s belovedPride and Prejudice,Bride and Prejudicestars Aishwarya Rai as Lalita Bakshi and Martin Henderson as Will Darcy. This adaptation manages toupdate the source materialwhile adding some really fun, joyous musical numbers.
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Bride and Prejudice (2004)
Pathe Ltd/Kobal/Shutterstock
A Bollywood take on Austen’s belovedPride and Prejudice,Bride and Prejudicestars Aishwarya Rai as Lalita Bakshi and Martin Henderson as Will Darcy. This adaptation manages toupdate the source materialwhile adding some really fun, joyous musical numbers.
07of 16Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)EverettThis movie is like someone watched the 1995 and 2005 versions of Austen’s 1813 novel and said, “Eh, it’sgood, but you know what’s missing? Zombies!“Starring Lily James as Elizabeth Bennet, the film imagines a world in which the Bennet sisters are trained to fight off zombies, even as their mother continues to worry about securing advantageous matches for them.
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Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)
Everett
This movie is like someone watched the 1995 and 2005 versions of Austen’s 1813 novel and said, “Eh, it’sgood, but you know what’s missing? Zombies!”
Starring Lily James as Elizabeth Bennet, the film imagines a world in which the Bennet sisters are trained to fight off zombies, even as their mother continues to worry about securing advantageous matches for them.
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The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (2012)
Pemberley Digital
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Clueless (1995)
Stacey Dash and Alicia Silverstone in Clueless.Everett
Stop watching this modern retelling ofEmma? As if!
Though it takes place in L.A. in the ’90s, it sticks pretty close to the source material when it comes to the plot. In this writer’s opinion, Cher falling for Josh is exactly as weird as Emma and the much older (in the book he’s 17 years her senior), like-a-brother-to-her, Mr. Knightley.
10of 16Emma (1996)Matchmaker/Miramax/Kobal/ShutterstockA year afterCluelesswas released, Gwyneth Paltrow picked up the mantle of Emma Woodhouse, acting opposite Jeremy Northam as George Knightley. The film stars other big names like Toni Collette, Alan Cumming and Ewan McGregor.
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Emma (1996)
Matchmaker/Miramax/Kobal/Shutterstock
A year afterCluelesswas released, Gwyneth Paltrow picked up the mantle of Emma Woodhouse, acting opposite Jeremy Northam as George Knightley. The film stars other big names like Toni Collette, Alan Cumming and Ewan McGregor.
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Emma. (2020)
There’s just something delightful about Anya Taylor-Joy’s take on Austen’s busybody heroine and Johnny Flynn’s swoony Mr. Knightley!
Austen’sEmmais a story that has been retold and reimagined plenty of times, but the 2020 version captures each character’s depth in a really fun way. There’s something so relatable about Knightly confessing his love — “If I loved you less then I might be able to talk about it more?” Immediate swoon — and Emma promptly getting a nosebleed.
12of 16Persuasion (2007)BBCAn adaptation of Austen’s 1817 novel of the same name, the 2007 film captures the quiet pining of a second chance at love — the novel’s heroine, Anne Elliot, is persuaded (eh? eh?) to break off her engagement with Captain Frederick Wentworth, only to be reunited years later.
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Persuasion (2007)
BBC
An adaptation of Austen’s 1817 novel of the same name, the 2007 film captures the quiet pining of a second chance at love — the novel’s heroine, Anne Elliot, is persuaded (eh? eh?) to break off her engagement with Captain Frederick Wentworth, only to be reunited years later.
13of 16Mansfield Park (1999)Clive Coote/Miramax/Kobal/ShutterstockThe 1999 adaptation ofMansfield Parkchanges some things about Austen’s 1814 novel, namely making colonialism and slavery one of its centerpieces, adding in a few scenes that would be considered scandalous in Austen’s time, and making the film’s heroine, Fanny Price, more like Austen herself.
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Mansfield Park (1999)
Clive Coote/Miramax/Kobal/Shutterstock
The 1999 adaptation ofMansfield Parkchanges some things about Austen’s 1814 novel, namely making colonialism and slavery one of its centerpieces, adding in a few scenes that would be considered scandalous in Austen’s time, and making the film’s heroine, Fanny Price, more like Austen herself.
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Sanditon (2019)
It takes place in a seaside town and the first season starred Rose Williams as protagonist Charlotte Heywood and Theo James as one of Austen’s broody heroes, Sidney Parker (though he departed the series after season 1). The show was picked up for a second and third season, so you’ve got plenty to catch up on and look forward to!
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Death Comes to Pemberley (2013)
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16of 16Austenland (2013)EverettThis one’s for all the guys and gals who have pictured themselves at the center of a period drama. Starring Keri Russell and featuring Jane Seymour and the always hilarious Jennifer Coolidge,Austenlandis a 2013 movie (based on a novel of the same name) about a woman who signs up for the total Austen experience at a British resort. It includes plenty of nods to Austen’sPride and Prejudiceand a pianoforte rendition of Nelly’s “Hot in Herre.”
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Austenland (2013)
This one’s for all the guys and gals who have pictured themselves at the center of a period drama. Starring Keri Russell and featuring Jane Seymour and the always hilarious Jennifer Coolidge,Austenlandis a 2013 movie (based on a novel of the same name) about a woman who signs up for the total Austen experience at a British resort. It includes plenty of nods to Austen’sPride and Prejudiceand a pianoforte rendition of Nelly’s “Hot in Herre.”
source: people.com
